Easter and April happenings

We've been super busy, as seems to always be the case, this Spring.  Farm updates include the fact that we've managed to keep a baby turkey alive for almost a month now, which is a bigger accomplishment than you might think on the surface.  Baby turkeys, in general, seem to have a death wish.  Whether it's trying to drown itself in a puddle, trapping itself in the garage, or knocking over its water dish and dumping out all of the water 10 minutes after we fill it, this turkey has 9 (or more) lives.  So, as of tonight, it's still kicking.  We had two lambs born yesterday, and both seem to be thriving, so that's great news.  We had several lambs die shortly after birth last month because we were at work when they were born and their mothers didn't seem to know that they needed to take care of them.  So we're very thankful that these lambs are doing well and have attentive mothers.  Spring means gardening, and this is the first year since we've lived here that we didn't start any seeds in the fall.  So Aaron bought some tomato plants at the farmer's market and we've planted about 20 of them.  Hoping to have time in the next week or so to plant some seeds for summer veggies like squash, cucumbers, melons, etc.  We'll see...hoping to have time and actually having time are very different!

Kiddo updates include the exciting news that Kai is officially potty trained.  Hooray!  We took the slow and steady approach, which involved buying a TON of big boy underwear and tolerating frequent accidents for weeks, but it finally clicked, and he's figured it out.  Pla Shee's doing great--playing soccer with a church league here in Venus which is both convenient and non-competitive--both big positives in the craziness that is our life right now.  He's also doing really well at Venus Elementary...he really seems to be thriving academically and socially.  Ruby went in for her 6 month check-up this week and weighed in at 16.8 pounds.  I'm feeling good about the bet I made with Aaron that she will surpass Kai's weight (currently 23 pounds and holding) by the time she turns one.

Here are a few pics from Easter weekend:

Visiting Karen refugees in Garland on Saturday evening.

The kids at church on Sunday morning.  Kai forgot to smile.

 

 No one looks thrilled to be in this one.

The boys and their "cousins" decorating a bunny cake.  Well, by decorating I mean they're mostly eating candy.

Lamb updates and a funny story about refugees

So I have two divergent topics for today--I'll start with an update on the lambs.  As I posted briefly last week, birthing season is in full force at the farm.  We've had 6 lambs born within the past week.  Sadly, one didn't make it due to unknown reasons, so we are left with 5 at this point, all of whom are healthy and spry.  I've not yet had an opportunity to take any decent photos, but plan to make it happen within the next day or so.  Rest assured, they are all cute as ever.  My favorite is a sweet little black ewe with a "flaw"--a white stripe on the top of her head--just adorable!

On to the other topic, which, as you probably guessed, involves our friends the refugees.  I debated about whether to post this here or on our refugee blog, One World Outreach, but decided it's more of a personal story than a professional one, so I opted to put it here.  This story is about cultural nuances, going with the flow, and having a sense of humor when communication takes a back seat to friendship and good intentions.
Sooo...
Yesterday I got a call at work around 2:30 in the afternoon from one of our refugee friends, Ta Paw.  I've talked a lot about him and his family in previous posts and on our One World Outreach blog.  Ta Paw doesn't speak much English, and I speak very little Karen, but the gist of our conversation was this:

Ta Paw:  Teacher, we miss you.  We want to see you today.  We will come to your house now.

Me:  Umm, I miss you too.  Today is not good.  Too busy today.

Ta Paw:  We can come now?

Me:  No.  I am at work.  No one is at home.  Not today.

Ta Paw:  Kai Pa is at home?  (Kai Pa is Aaron's name--it literally means "the father of Kai")

Me:  No.  Kai Pa is out of town.  He will not come home until tonight.

Ta Paw:  Okay, teacher. [click] (Our conversations always end abruptly like this....for some reason the "hello" and "goodbye" parts of phone conversations are seen as unnecessary!)

Fast forward a few hours...I pick up Kai, return home around 5 pm, give the boys a snack, then load up again to take Pla Shee to baseball practice from 6-7.  We get home about 7:30, around the same time as Aaron and Pu Lue (who had both been in Giddings helping Aaron's mom on the ranch over the weekend).  We eat a quick dinner, get the boys bathed, read a bedtime story, and put them to bed by 8:30.

I hop in the shower, ready to get into my pjs and veg on the sofa for a couple of hours rotting my brain while watching some mindless tv, and while I'm in the shower, Aaron comes into the bathroom to announce that Ta Paw and 14 of his family members and friends are in our living room!

What can you do but shake your head, recenter, put your clothes back on, and scan the pantry for snacks for 15?  Pla Shee and Kai heard the commotion and of course had to join the party.  Pla Shee must have said five times "Me and Kai are so lucky!  We get to stay up so late like grownups!". 

While it wouldn't have been my first choice to have a houseful of people over until 10:30 pm on a Monday night with no warning (I guess the "no warning" aspect is debatable, given my earlier phone conversation), after gathering myself a bit I realized that we are incredibly blessed.  We are blessed to have these people in our lives that love us and care about us so much that they think nothing of driving over an hour in the dark, in a strange new city, to visit us and tell us that they miss us.  That these people, who have almost nothing, who struggle with employment, language, health, and depression, would arrive at our home with smiles on their faces and bearing gifts of frozen chicken and hand-woven clothing.

Sometimes I get frustrated because of the sacrifices we've made in our work with the refugees.  Sometimes it's hard to make ends meet on one salary as we try to get our nonprofit, One World Outreach, up and running.  Sometimes our "alone time" turns into something far from it, as it did last night.  But at the end of the day, when I look around me and I see the faces of people who I love and who love me and my family, faces of people who have lost so much but yet still so freely give, I know that I am truly blessed.  I wouldn't change this crazy life for anything.

A trip to the Zoo

Easter weekend we took a group of Karen refugees to the Dallas Zoo.  For most of them, it was their first visit to a zoo, and also their first ride on the train (we took the Dart Rail).  It was a blast.  Here is a photo montage for your viewing pleasure.

What Christmas is really all about

This past Sunday we celebrated Christmas with our "favorite" Karen family, and had a blast.  One of my coworkers, Beverly, and her husband, Bob, brought gifts for half of the family, and we brought gifts for the other half.  It was so much fun decorating the tree with ornaments that our friend Holli donated, opening presents, and then learning how to use the presents they received.  We are constantly laughing because we do a lot of pantamiming due to the language barrier.  They were most confused by the nightlight in the shape of a soccer ball (hard to explain the purpose of a night light to a family who lived the whole of their lives until a year ago without electricity).  Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we realized that Christmas is a time to remember those you love, and we love them!

Aaron & Ta Paw

Hae Blu Moo

Top row (l to r): Caroline, Aaron, Diane, Ta Paw, Pi Pi, Aye Aye, Beverly, Bob

Bottom row (l to r): Moo Blu Htoo, Moo Kae Blut, Hae Blu Moo, Moo Moo, Kai